


The Empress

by payton_vega



Series: Now You See Me [1]
Category: Now You See Me (Movies)
Genre: Drama, F/F, F/M, Family Issues, Gen, I give myself feels, Long Lost Friends, Revelation, Secrets, self confidence struggles, severe dad issues, super cute Jack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 15:26:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8214163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/payton_vega/pseuds/payton_vega
Summary: "The Empress is an archetype of feminine power; she is watery, hard to fathom, mysterious, fertile, and sexual. She augurs a need for us to be in touch with our feminine side, to listen to our intuition, and to give priority to our emotions and passions. She can signify coming abundance."Natalie (preferably Rose) Douglas is a young and aspiring magician. Her late father practiced it, now it's her turn. She dreams of making it big and finally gets that chance when she receives a card from The Eye. She also dreams of finding her old friend, Jack, who she hasn't seen since they were children. Will Rose get everything she wishes for, or will everything she's worked for fall apart with the revelation of old family secrets? Find out in the first installment of my Now You See Me series, The Empress. Enjoy!





	

"And for my last trick I need a volunteer!"

All of the children in my park audience shot their hands into the air, some jumping up and down to get picked. I chose a little girl in the front, she quickly made her way over to me. She was a park regular.

"Now what's your name, sweetie?"

"I'm Maria!"

I smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Maria! I'm Rose and I'm a magician! Would you like to be a magician for today?"

"Yes!" my eager volunteer clapped while jumping up and down.

"Great! Now, Maria, if you would please help me out here by showing our lovely audience that my hat is completely empty."

"Okay!" Maria took my magician top hat (cliché but I loved it) and displayed the inside to our audience before handing it back to me.

"Thank you, Maria. Now, what's something you want more than anything?"

"A puppy!"

I couldn't help but clap for my excitement about my next trick. "Ooh, I love puppies!" I bit my lip. "Now, I'm not sure about a real one, but let's see what we can get!"

Managing to discreetly transfer the Chihuahua puppy from my inside pocket to my hat while moving my hand over my hat in traditional magician form, I held it out for my volunteer.

"Can I see what's in the hat?" Maria asked shyly with a grin.

"Of course, silly!" I couldn't help but laugh. I loved children. "Just reach in there!"

The little girl closed her eyes, her hand tentatively reaching down into my hat. She gasped as she came out holding the squirming pup. The small audience erupted in cheers and whistles as my volunteer showed off her new dog.

"Can I keep her!?" Maria asked with hope in her eyes.

"She's all yours! Thank you so much for helping me out today!" I turned back to the audience, gesturing to Maria. "How about another hand for my lovely assistant today!?"

I joined my audience in clapping for Maria as she made her way back to her mother, pup in hand.

"Thank you all for your time! Have a great day!"

/

Some audience members left change in my top hat I had sitting on a table as I took the blazer I wore during my little shows off and put it in my Batman messenger bag (I'm kinda nerdy, sue me), putting on my regular black leather jacket with 3/4 sleeves. Checking out the bills and coins left in my hat, my interest perked up when I found a card with the tarot of "The Empress" on it. The other side has a peculiar design of an eye on it. A date and address was on it. March 29, 4:44 PM, 45 East Evan St. NY, NY. This was from The Eye, an elite groups of magicians. Only the best of the best were in.

I placed the card in my pocket, the spare change going into my wallet. I sighed as I sling my messenger bag on my shoulder. I had to go home and face my mother and the stepfather from hell. My mom didn't exactly like that I was into it, but she understood why I loved it. Step-demon? He thought I needed to get my head out of the clouds.

"Mom, I'm home!" I announced, smelling cooking.

"In the kitchen!" I heard her voice.

Despite my prayers, stepfather John was with my mom as she stirred spaghetti noodles in a pot.

"Mom, can I talk to you about something?"

"Are you finally giving up that childish nonsense to go to college?" John asked, being the condescending a-hole he always was.

Ignoring him, I turned to my mom as she stepped away from the pot to face me.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

I pulled the card out of my pocket, showing it to her. "It's The Eye, Mom. They want me."

My mom pursed her lips. I knew why she wasn't jumping for joy. My father had been a magician before he died in a car accident. While she'd loved him, she was cautious with me because he'd died on the way to a show.

"You're just as bad as your piece of crap father!" John suddenly snapped at me. "You wanna waste your life chasing something that doesn't exist just so you can trick and deceive people for money!? Go ahead! Ruin what little chance of a future you have!"

"John-" my mom tried to intervene before I interrupted.

"That's not what I use magic for!" I snapped back. I had been biting my tongue against this man for years. But I was an adult and I was _sick_ of being treated and talked to like I was a child. "I use it because it makes people happy! I can't be because I'm stuck here with _you_ , so maybe I can at least try to make others happy! And I will gladly chase it!"

Turning on my heels, I stormed out of the kitchen and upstairs to my bedroom. I slammed the door behind me and threw my messenger bag onto my bed. I quickly shoved clothes into the bag, along with the sketchbooks I had. My mom came in as I picked up the one picture I had of me and my dad. You couldn't see his face well because of the angle, but I could tell I'd inherited his dark hair and eyes.

"So, you really wanna do this?" my mom asked as she sat on my bed.

I put the picture in my bag, nodding as I sat next to her with tears in my eyes. I wished my dad was there.

Taking the picture out, my mom held it. She smiled softly. "He'd be so proud of you for following him."

I managed to smile, a tear sliding down my cheek. "I'm doing it for him."

Sighing, my mom put the picture down. "I need to tell you something."

"Please don't tell me John's my father," my eyes widened. "We need to talk" from anyone was never good news.

"No, sweetie," my mom chuckled. "But it is about your father."

"But he's dead. There's nothing to talk about."

The fact that I was right clicked in my brain. If he really was dead, there wouldn't be anything. And if there was something, that had to mean...

"He's not dead," I breathed in shock. Could it be possible? Could my mom have lied to me my whole life? Letting me go through holidays and birthdays, Father's Day, thinking the one person I wanted to be there was dead only to be alive?

"I wish there was an easier way to tell you-"

"You could've been honest my whole life!" I cried. "You lie to me for years and suddenly it's "I wish I could make this easy but guess what, your dead dad isn't dead"!? What the hell, Mom!?"

"It was The Eye, Rose," my mom sighed tiredly.

"What?" I was confused. Was she saying that my dad was/is in the group that wanted me to join them?

"You already know your father was a magician. But I never told you he was in The Eye. It's why I left him."

"Why would you leave him but support my decision to join? That's hypocritical."

She sighed again. "I know. But he was never home. I was practically raising you by myself. So I gave him a choice, it was either us or The Eye. He couldn't choose."

"So you chose for him." I shook my head, feeling a headache coming. "Why would you tell me this now?"

"Because I never thought it would happen to you."

I raised an eyebrow. First she drops the "your dad's alive" bombshell, and now she tells me she never thought I'd go places as a magician? Way to go, Mom.

"I'm so sorry, Natalie. Dinner's ready when you're hungry."

I threw myself down on my bed after she left. My mom only called me by my first name when she was really upset or serious. I hated that name, which was why I went by my middle name. Not in the mood for food, I grabbed my phone and plugged in my earbuds, putting them in my ears and playing my music. I closed my eyes as "Second Chance" by Shinedown played.

I started crying again as I thought over my conversation with my mother. After all these years, my dad wasn't dead. He was part of The Eye. Could he know where I am? Did he help decide that I was chosen? Did he decide on his own? Did he even know? So many questions swam in my mind. I knew what I had to do. I was gonna go to New York and do everything I could to join The Eye. I shot up, making sure I had enough clothes for a few days-and some of my favorite outfits- with my sketchbooks, the picture of my father, and other small and miscellaneous objects I wanted to take with me.

I turned when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was my mom holding a stack of cash. I took my earbuds out, putting my phone on my bed.

"I've always kept this in case you'd ever need it. I guess now would be a good time to give it to you."

"How much is this?" I asked as I took the cash, it had to be at least a few grand. I found an assortment of bills.

"Four thousand. In case you need money for food, taxis, anything."

I hugged my mom tightly despite the fact that I was beyond mad at her for the news I got that day, but she was still looking out for me."When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning," I set the cash on my nightstand and set my bag on the floor next to my bed.

"Hopefully I'll get to see you before you go."

"But if you don't, I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

My mom hugged me tighter than she ever had my whole life. Maybe she was afraid for me, maybe she was upset her only child was finally leaving. Maybe both. But I held onto that hug. I knew I'd miss her.

"Good luck, Natalie."

/

It was 2:43am when I made it to the train station. Unable to sleep, I got dressed and managed to slip out of the house without alarming my mom and John. I wouldn't be leaving until 6, so I managed to find a nearby coffee shop surprisingly open.

"Visiting family?" the barista asked to make small talk as she fixed my latte.

"Yeah," I lied casually. It wasn't a total lie though, if I somehow found my dad.

"Have a good one," she smiled as she handed me my drink. I left a 10 in the tip jar, she was really friendly and would probably appreciate the money.

It was a little chilly as I sat back down outside, making my hold onto my hot drink. My mom would probably be upset that I left early, but she knew I had to do this. For once I was doing something for myself.

/

I stared out the window of the train, my earbuds playing music in my ears as I made my way to the Big Apple. Butterflies flew in my stomach. I felt like I was going home and somewhere I'd never been at the same time. I knew it was highly unlikely, but I wished I'd see Jack. Even if he didn't remember me, just to know he was okay and happy.

For some reason I'd found myself thinking about Jack even more than I usually did. Maybe because we both had loved magic and childishly vowed that we'd become two of the greatest magicians. Now it seemed that maybe I actually was on my way there.

/

It was around 11:30 when I got to New York, having to kill time window shopping at a mall not far from the address I had to show up at later that day. It wasn't that bad, I almost lost track of time before I realized it was 4:23 and left. I could walk to the address so I followed directions to it on my phone.

I couldn't deny that the closer I got, the more excited I got. I just knew I was on my way to things I could've never imagined doing, going places I dreamed of visiting. And I was taking that first step.

I stopped outside the apartment building, putting my phone away as I reached for my card from The Eye. I knew I was in the right place, but you know those jitters you get when you're nervous and excited at the same time? Yeah, that's how I felt.

"Hey," a guy's voice called out, "you lost?"


End file.
